Improved boot and shoe blacking apparatus



I.- BICKHART. SHOE BRUSH;

No. 37,487. Patented' `Jm. 27, 186s. 1

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC BICKHART, OF HARLAN, INDIANA.

IMPROVED BOOT AND SHOE BLACKING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,487, dated January 27, 1863.

lTo @ZZ whom it may concern:

-Be it known. that I, ISAAC BIGKHART, of Harlan, inthe county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Cleaning and Blackening or Polishing Boots and Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciiioa-tion, in which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section of my invention, taken in the line x rv, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan o r top View of the same Fig. 3, a detached view of a portion of the same, showing the adjustment of thebrush-wheels; Fig. 4, a detached side view of a hand-brush pertaining to the same. y

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding par ts in the several figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of one or more revolving adjustable brush-wheels, in connection with one or more yielding foot-stands, arranged in such a man ner that boots and shoesmay be expeditiously cleaned and blackened while on the feet of the wearer.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the base of the machine, which has two uprights, a a, attached to it, in which the journals of a horizontal shaft, B, are fitted and allowed to rotate freely. This shaft B is rotated from a driving-shaft, C, through the medium of gears I) c, and the shaft C may be rotated'manually by means of a crank, D. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) On the shaft B there are placed two brush-wheels, E E, each of which is formed ot' two parts, d d, the parts D being rmlyfkeyed to the shaft B, and the parts d' litted loosely upon it so that they may slide freely thereon. The two parts d d', which compose each brush-wheel E, are ot'curved -cyma form at their inner sides, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 8, and the bristles e are inserted in these curved sides of the parts d d, and each of said parts terminates in a cylindrical projection or hub, f, which are slotted longitudinally so as to form a clutch and cause said parts to be connected so that the part d, which is keyed to the shaft B, will turn the part'd, which is fitted loosely thereon., and the slots in the hubs f are made sufficiently deep to admit ofthe parts d d being connected under a considerable play or movement of the part d. This will be fully understood by referringV to Fig. 3. The parts d! of the brush-wheels have a spiral spring, C, bearing against them, and this spring is placed on the shaft B between the parts d', as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The spring C has a tendency to keep the parts d! d of both brushwheels in close contact with the parts d d.

D D represent two foot-stands, -which are simply. two pieces of boards placed horizontally on the upper ends of springs E, which are of spiral form and attachedat their lower ends to the base A.. The springs E are of such a height that the foot-stands D D will be about in line with the lower edge of shaft B. Each foot-stand D is supported by two springs, E.

The operationis .as follows: The person places the machine on the iioor in front of him, and, being seated on a chair, places his foot on one of the foot-stands E, and presses it downward and forward so that the upper of the boot or shoewill be underneath the brushwheel, the part d thereof yielding so that the brush-wheel will conform to the size of the boot or shoe.v The shaft O is rotated'by anl ,from the foot-stand, and placesit on the top of the brush-wheel, which then cleans thel heel and back part of the boot orl shoe. These two positions of the boot are shown in red outline in Fig. 1. The persony then applies blacking to the boot or shoe by means of a brush, F, the blacking-box G being secured on the base A, at the outer side of one of the uprights a. When the boot or shoe is blacked it is operated upon and polished by the other brush-wheel, E, the boot or shoe being appliedto the brush-wheel in the same manner as previously described for clearing oli` the dust and dirt. Two brush-wheels are desirable in order that the blacking` brush-wheel' may always be kept clean. One brush-wheel to answer both purposesto wit, clearing oli' the dirt and 'polishing-although it might be used, would not 4answer n good practical combination with the yielding foot-stands l) purpose. D, rrunged substantially as and for the pur- Having thus described myinvention, Whatl pose herein set forth. claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters ISAAC BIGKHAR'II. 7 Ps1-tent, is Witnesses:

The revolving brush-wheels E E, one or HARVEY W. LEWIS,

more, constructed substantially as shown, in y W. H. ALDRTCH. l 

